This invention relates in general to vehicle lighting and, in particular, to a lamp which functions as a courtesy lamp to provide a convenient source of lighting for use in or on a vehicle.
More specifically, but without restriction to the particular embodiment and/or use which is shown and described herein for purposes of illustration, this invention relates to a lamp especially adapted for use in or on a vehicle, and having an "on-off" switch actuable by movement of the lamp housing.
Courtesy lamps are used with vehicles to provide a source of light for convenience of the passengers or operator of the vehicle. Such a source of light is used for many purposes such as looking for articles dropped in the vehicle, reading maps, or personal grooming. Lamps used for this purpose are connected to the vehicle's electrical power supply and generally actuated by operation of a manual switch, which is a separate component of the lamp assembly.
In the inventor's prior patent, Dennis G. Moore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,179, "LAMP WITH BUILT-IN ON-OFF SWITCH", there is disclosed and claimed an electric lamp for use in a vehicle lighting system which eliminates the need for a separate control switch in the illuminating circuit, by incorporating the switching function into the lamp structure itself. In this patent the lamp bulb is positioned in a carrier which is moveable into and out from a position whereby the terminals of the lamp bulb itself engage and disengage electrical contacts carried within the lamp housing to thereby illuminate or extinguish the lamp.
The present invention also eliminates the need for a separate control switch component to be incorporated into the lamp illuminating circuit or lamp structure. In this invention sliding movement of the lamp housing itself, relative to the lamp base, opens and closes the illuminating circuit enabling the lamp to be conveniently operated without the necessity of looking or feeling for a switch actuator to turn the lamp on or off.